Two New Ghibli Projects Appear On The Radar – One Samurai Film, One From Evangelion’s Hideaki Anno

The most recent releases from Studio Ghibli have been Goro Miyazaki‘s Up on Poppy Hill, back at home in Japan, and Arietty, here in the UK and, just about now, in the US.

Miyazaki the younger seems to be already at work on his next project. Anime News Network are, a little belatedly, relating news from a Japanese TV special:

[He] is planning a samurai period work that combines fact and fiction… set in the northeastern Tohoku region of Japan during the Middle Ages.

Okay, Ghibli do Samurai. That’s got inherent appeal.

Their other newly revealed project is somewhat more mysterious, but has appeal of its own – it will see Evangelion director Hideaki Anno collaborating with the studio for the first time since he was an animator on 1988’s Grave of the Fireflies.

According to a now-deleted entry on the Tokyo Anime Fair website, Ghibli have employed Anno to curate a museum exhibit regarding the history of Japanese special effects. At the same time, a Ghibli blog post on their own museum has referred to a seemingly related film project. As per Anime News Network:

“Director A” and “Director H” attended a meeting about an exhibition that “Director A” is supervising for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo this summer. A major highlight of the exhibition will be a new film work specifically made for the event. Nishioka did not specify the length of the work or whether it is live-action or animated.

Work continues on the studio’s other films, all of which are still shrouded in mystery. I’ve got my peepers peeled, however, and once the information comes, I’ll pass it along.

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